>keep in mind that absolute minimums are necessary. I have heard of people
>who connect several networks to the Internet without firewalls. But to
>answer the original question, YES, a firewall is a false sense of security.
>If, for example, your firewall blocks everything but ftp to a single
>machine, then that ftp could still be hacked.
>
>telnet is also another good example. If you let people telnet into your
>network though the firewall, then now they are inside of the firewall and
>all commands they issue are also inside of this firewall. I work with a
>mixed NT / 95 network (military at that) at work and we have a firewall.
>But when I need a file I just log into their telnet session and their Linux
>machine then I ftp that file to the real world. So much for that firewall.
>
>In a nutshell, the firewall is an extension to the normal security. I am
>not saying to not run a firewall, but by all means make sure the rest of
the
>network is stable and secure before doing so. Then after the network is as
>secure as possible then set up that firewall.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Bill Kocik
>Sent: Monday, October 05, 1998 6:36 AM
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Re: FireWall
>
>
>> Is there any great advantage to an ISP in running a firewall or is it
just
>> false security?
>> Can they keep a system safe or just add problems or hassels to users and
>> staff.
>
>
>Do not...I repeat, DO NOT connect a network to the Internet without
>a firewall. This includes ISP's and web servers. A firewall is like
>the absolute minimum first line of defense. Don't leave home without
>one.
>
>
>
>---
>Bill Kocik
>Information Systems
>Medar, Inc.
>E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Web: http://www.medar.com
My personal opinion is have good administrator skills. Meaning in that
you set your permissions correctly (VERY IMPORTENT) and have the most
up-to-date apps and utilities. Get the patches. A lot of security holes
are fixed! Then setup your other stuff...firewalls for example.
